VOTE for Reproductive Freedom, 2024 billboard, Phlladelphia, Lena Wolff & Hope Meng
VOTE for the Freedom to Read, 2024, offset poster, Lena Wolff & Hppe Meng
Art for Democracy is an ongoing, self-initiated public art campaign founded in 2017, conceived as a means to add to the cultural landscape of towns and cities across the United States, with invitational messages that encourage civic participation for reasons related to social and environmental justice. Fellow artist and letterform designer Hope Meng came on board in 2022 to take over as Lena’s primary collaborator and equal partner in the project, which has now launched every 2 years for the past 4 election cycles in the form of physical posters, billboards, postcards, downloadable files and digital images shared widely on social media.
Project History
Berkeley Stands United Against Hate, offset posters, 2017
Art for Democracy began with a poster reading, Berkeley Stand United Against Hate, made with the help of graphic designer Lexi Visco (of Companion Platform) with the encouragement and support of political leaders in the city. Since its release in 2017, this poster has been reprinted hundreds of thousands of times and adapted for over 10 regional other cities, becoming a part of the urban landscape in the Bay Area, still visible today.
The project since evolved into a widespread public art campaign largely focused on promoting voter engagement for reasons related to the critical issues of our day — for reproductive freedom, gun control, LGBTQ rights, racial justice, the freedom to read, and the health of the planet at large. Rather than advocating for a single party or candidate, the initiative adds to existing community-led voter engagement efforts and is welcomed in public spaces like restaurants, libraries, bookstores, and cafes.
To date, hundreds of thousands of Art for Democracy posters have been distributed for free circulation in over 100 cities nationwide in the past four election cycles, along with related billboards installed in swing states, made possible through a partnership with the nonprofit, Save Art Space in New York and generous donations by individual donors, including US poet laureate Amanda Gorman.
Since their release, posters from the series have been collected by SFMOMA, Oakland Museum of California, and the history collection at the San Francisco Public Library.
The project will continue to produce messages to promote democracy and civic-participation for the long haul.
